Deflated Ape

Laying low

Family matters took me to the Gowanus neighborhood this afternoon. Since we had time to kill, I took my nephew to see the replacement inflatable ape at the NY Auto Auction. We came up Hamilton Avenue... Not again! Gone!! Wait, what's that on the roof? A pool of blue and gold (the shades). A quick consultation with Sartoris revealed the 30-foot creature was merely deflated--a precautionary move before the latest storm. Good thinking guys. One ape lost to the storm is enough for a lifetime.

Snow Machines

(Courtesy TLC)

Have you noticed the reemergence of Sarah Palin? Sadly, it's mainly in jokes on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report about how forgotten and irrelevant she's become. I couldn't help but think of her when I came across this passage about forest Eskimos along the Kobuk River in John McPhee's Coming into the Country:

Dog teams have largely been replaced by snowmobiles (or snow machines, as they are almost universally called in Alaska).... Snow machines, however--for all their breathtaking ability to go as fast as fifty miles an hour over roadless terrain--break down now and again, and are thus perilous. A stranded traveler cannot eat a snow machine. Dog teams in the region are increasing in number, and the take of salmon is growing as well.

I wonder what Sarah is doing now.

Are You Shovel-Ready?

Big storm coming. Better check on the essentials. Scraper? Check. Brush? Check. Shovel? Check. Back-up shovel? Check.

What if I'm stuck in the car under some snow drift? Television? Check. Replacements? Check. Dusty Springfield? Check. Mekons...

A full gas tank and some water wouldn't hurt either.

The Lion in Winter

Is a Jaguar Mk2. At a garage on Bradley Avenue and Victory Boulevard, Staten Island. 

Ed Koch, Critic

Sometime around 1984, Mayor Koch and I went to see Last Night at the Alamo--not together, of course. The movie, by Eagle Pennell, was getting a little bit of attention from critics like Roger Ebert. Black-and-white, low budget, it told the story of a couple of lovable losers in Dallas trying to figure out how to keep their favorite bar, The Alamo, from closing down. A reporter must have asked Koch what he thought of it. I can't find any record his response; what I do remember is that he unloaded on the movie. He didn't just say he didn't like it or, "It's not for me,"but wondered why movies like that even get made.

Hard to imagine a mayor, governor, senator or politician of any stripe today even going to see a movie like Alamo, let alone sharing their unvarnished review? Maybe, Chris Christie, but I doubt it. Needless, to say I disagreed with the Mayor's review but you gotta admire the guy's... What's that word Jews use...?

(Pennell's only other film, The Whole Shootin' Match, was rereleased a couple years ago, and you can get it on Netflix. Alamo is sadly condemned to obscurity.)

My Own Private Colorado

The E train was packed when it left 53rd & Lexington, and now it was standing at Court Street. The dreaded "passenger in need of medical assistance." Our conductor added the detail, "We are waiting for EMS to arrive." Twice, five minutes apart. Not a hopeful sign if you get sick on the subway.

By a stroke of luck, I had a copy of Robert Adams' Denver photography collection (c. 1970-74) in my bag. I even got a seat when somebody in front of me gave up the ghost (not literally). With John Doe and Exene singing "See How We Are" for a soundtrack, I created my own black and white documentary.

Or a maybe a feature film, a la Wim Wenders. A girl in a white dress walks out of a trailer park...

Thunk..., Ca-Thunk

We were cheek by jowl as we crawled towards the Kosciuszko Bridge. I had just about reached the top of the on-ramp at 43rd Street when I heard--or felt--a thunk from the back of the car. Did someone hit me? I looked back over both shoulders. Didn't look like it. Ca-thunk. Driver's side, definitely. I pulled on the emergency brake and got out. Son of a bitch. A panel of some sort had blown up against the rear wheelwell, and the wind was holding it there there tight. I pulled it off and flung it to the non-existent breakdown lane. It felt strangely good to be outside the car on the BQE. Almost